[EAS] Mindless Murmurings about Munged Messages

[ray at electronicstheory.com]

I've been dealing with EAS since it was CONELRAD.  I can recall the changeout to
EBS, and the one to EAS, and now the one to CAP/IPAWS.
Primarily, I'm a Radio Frequency engineer, with audio, video and computer
knowledge, so I tend to work with transmitters most.

Something I've recently noticed that I hadn't noticed before.

Our network adopted DASDECs.  They are fairly good boxes when they are set up
right.  They are a royal pain when they are not.  While I've worked with TWT's,
Sages, Gormans, etc in the past and remember how most of them are programmed and
work - I do NOT recall ever seeing what I am now seeing with the DASDECs.

The DASDEC sometimes doesn't catch the whole message.  I'm fairly certain that
this is due to atmospherics during storms.  When it gets a partial message - it
logs it as a partial message.  I don't recall ever seeing that with the other
systems.

That being said, many stations across the country, and we have a LOT of DASDECs,
and so I see a LOT of messages come through from all over the country.  Because
I see more messages, I also see (what seems to me as) a lot of partial messages.
 I don't recall ever seeing a partial message on a TWT or other brand before.
 Perhaps it sees them and doesn't log them because they don't run?  Perhaps they
simply ignore them.  (Perhaps in my old age I simply don't remember them
happening, but they did??)

Either way - let me get to the point.

I do see a lot of messages that appear to be missed due to atmospheric
conditions (storms).  Many of these are coming from the National Weather
Service.  Now it seems to me, in my ignorance, that an emergency message coming
from the National Weather Service is one that you would NOT want to have
interfered with by, say, weather?!  After all - you aren't going to have optimal
RF conditions during a tornado.

Why aren't the NWS alerts sent via IPAWS/CAP ???  Seems like under the
circumstance, it might be more reliable.

Feeble minds want to know.

Ray Dall
RF Engineer
(aka chief satellite dish sweeper and rat chaser.)
Daystar Television Network